


Mind Games

by YumeNoTsuzuki (Yumejin)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Family, Flashbacks, Gen, Invasion of Privacy, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-08
Updated: 2012-12-08
Packaged: 2017-11-20 15:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/587028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yumejin/pseuds/YumeNoTsuzuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Knowing another person's true thoughts is a very heavy burden to bear...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mind Games

**Author's Note:**

> No beta.  
> I don't think it's too bad, but rated Teen and Up Audiences to stay on the safe side.

“Ino,” her father’s stern look chilled her to the bone. He was always gentle with her, but this time his blue eyes felt like cold steel on her – piercing and harsh. “You _must_ promise me not to use this technique lightly.”

She nodded stiffly, her mind in overdrive. Her father, head of the Yamanaka clan, had finally decided she was ready to succeed one of their most important techniques: Mind Reading. She had been waiting for this moment ever since she had been acknowledged as a shinobi of Konoha and given her very own proof of loyalty: the forehead protector. The time was finally here, she would become more than another half-trained ninja at Hokage’s disposal who died before ever achieving the rank of Jounin. She would be a successor of the Yamanaka, the specialists of the Mind Arts, the best spies and interrogators you could ever hope to find. She would wear the name with pride and bring honour to her clan, just as her father, grandfather and their ancestors since times immemorial had always done.

“This technique is so highly guarded for two very important reasons, Ino,” her father continued with a worried look on his face, but his tone was strict and lecturing. “It’s even more dangerous than the Mind and Body Switch technique and in the wrong hands; it could bring down even the Hokage without spilling any blood.”

Ino gulped, her hands forming fists. She was determined.

“The technique is even more risky than switching mind and body because it is possible to become trapped within another person’s mind while performing it. It requires immense focus and detachment from the subject’s thoughts, if you falter and feel disgust or sympathy for them, you will fail and the technique will break, leaving you unprotected within their mind. You must remain grounded – it will continue to connect your spirit to your body and allow you to return.  Are we clear on that?”

“Yes, but-,” she chewed her lip slightly, hesitating after all. “Isn’t there any way to reverse it if the connection has been broken?”

“There is, but if the subject has any knowledge of protecting their mind – users of Genjutsu often do – they can trap you for an indefinite amount of time and it may even become impossible to connect with your body due to distance or its destruction or death. You can also never disclose the details of your findings with anyone who has your slightest doubt. This technique is a serious breach of privacy as well and there are certain things you will have to learn to avoid while performing it. You should never use it on someone you know, no matter how well it would seem you know them. It could have disastrous consequences, for both of you and the Yamanaka clan, should someone accuse us of spying in our friends’ minds,” her father seemed to know something she didn’t, perhaps a past experience, because his eyes were pained and shadowed. She suddenly realised the burden the wielders of this technique must carry: having the means to answer their own selfish questions whether the person is willing to share their secrets or not. She was inquisitive by nature and… the temptation was truly indescribable; the desire to tiptoe through the unaware minds was suddenly overwhelming her.

“Ino,” her father’s voice broke the frenzy her mind was working itself into, his tone reprimanding. “You must _never_ use this technique for selfish reasons. I cannot stress this enough.”

“Never!” she assured him, nodding her head quickly. Her fingers seemed to tingle; the ability to see past everyone’s lies and deceitful personalities was just within her grasp… _No_. She couldn’t think like that, it was exactly what her father had just told her never to succumb to. She was ready for this; she had been training her mind for many years, just as all Yamanaka did from a very young age.

“Very well,” Inoichi finally inclined his head, almost as if he’d been hoping she would back out and decide against learning such a terrifying technique. “I shall begin instructing you tomorrow.”

*

Sasuke sat in the corner of the library, his brooding form dark and alone. He was reading a book calmly, his eyes fixed firmly upon its pages.

Ino was fidgeting in her seat; she had a perfect chance to use her new technique. All she wanted was a little peek. It wasn’t selfish, not really. It could surely do no harm to find out if Sasuke liked her more than Sakura? Not that the pink-haired forehead girl stood a chance, but Ino was really desperate for some proof of his blooming affection for her. No, it was a bad idea. She had trained for this; she had trained not to give in to temptation so easily. Shinobi were not easily broken by pain, but their desires were also their greatest weakness. That had been one of her first lessons as a Mind Arts user. She still had not forgotten any of it and she knew perfectly well how important it was. And yet, she only wanted to take a peek. Nothing serious.

“Shika, look after my body for a minute,” she ordered the brunet boy who was lazily dozing off next to her. It would be ok, she would go in and out and nobody would ever know.

“Eh..?” the Shadow ninja sighed and opened one eye, but that was enough of an acknowledgement for Ino.

Her hands formed the well practiced seal under the table, aiming at Sasuke’s still form. It was the perfect opportunity, she couldn’t possibly miss. In a split second, she was there.

Perusing Sasuke’s memories efficiently, she searched for the one she wanted. Nowhere to be found, she began to dig deeper and deeper. Suddenly everything seemed to shake… even though it was all in the Uchiha’s mind, it felt real to her. She was sucked into a vision, more powerful than any memory she had ever seen before. Fear took over her and the connection between her body and mind shattered at once. Trapped, she screamed for help, but nobody could hear her.

The memory unfolded, engulfing her entire presence. It was a dark night; the moon was barely peeking out from behind the clouds. Five year old Sasuke was running home, sweaty, breathless and hungry. Something wasn’t right… she saw the boy stop suddenly, looking around with worry written all over his face. And then it hit her – there were no lights on in the Uchiha clan’s compound. It was dark and silent, almost eerie… Sasuke ran and ran, his eyes dilated and scared. She realised it then, she knew what she was going to see. _No! No! No!_ Her mind screamed, trying to wrench her vision away from the dreadful memory about to unfold, but she was trapped, unable to look away… dead bodies lay scattered everywhere, broken awkwardly, blood pooling beneath Sasuke’s bare feet…  The entire Uchiha clan lay slaughtered like meat, all at the hands of one traitor.

Sasuke ran into his house, calling the names of his beloved older brother, mother and father. Silence - cruel and taunting, was the only thing that greeted his ears. He searched through the house frantically, until finally, in his parent’s room…

 _NO!_ Sasuke’s voice boomed through his mind and suddenly she was being thrown back out, her consciousness fading. She glimpsed the unmoving forms of Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha, a single long blade piercing both of their bodies… then the feeling of hatred, anger and an urge to kill, maim, _DESTROY_ whoever was responsible for their untimely deaths… _Itachi_ …

She opened her eyes, the harsh breath she was unconsciously gasping for made her realise: she was back in her own body. Her blurry vision registered only the red and black of the angry, swirling Sharingan before her whole body exploded with pain.

“Sasuke! Stop! Oi! You bastard!” someone was shouting, but hands were wrapping around her neck, cutting off the precious supply of oxygen…

Sasuke’s ugly, twisted scowl was the last thing she would ever see, how fitting was that for someone unable to curb their own curiosity on such trivial matters…

Naruto was pulling Sasuke off her, restraining the raven haired teen who was snarling furiously; his eyes were blazing red and murderous. He was springing up, ready to lunge at her again, struggling against the blonde’s strong hold around his waist.

“Ino, _Ino_ , are you ok?” Sakura was asking now, her medic nin training kicking in before their unprofessional bickering could resume. She sounded worried, but…  Ino couldn’t talk to her right now. Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. She had to get away from there or Sasuke would surely hunt her down and kill her with his bare hands if need be. She ran, as fast as her legs would carry her, straight home, straight to her father, grief swelling up in her chest, _oh what had she done…._

*

Inoichi held his daughter close as she wept on his chest, her breaths quick and erratic.

“ _I’m so sorry, dad, I’m sorry,”_ she wept, her face buried in his clothes. He patted her head gently, just like he used to when she was a child and crying because of a scrape on her knee.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, gently, not wanting to pressure her into answering.

“I… I… looked. I know you said never to do it,” she choked back a sob. “For s-selfish reasons, but I t-thought, just a little peek would be…. I’m so sorry.”

“Whose mind did you look into?” he asked calmly. He knew this day would come, just as it had for him when he sneaked into Shikaku’s mind, hoping to find a hind of reciprocation for his feelings… And he knew, just like every Yamanaka who inherited the cursed technique, that his daughter would not heed the warning. He had hoped to protect her from following in his footsteps and making the same cruel mistake. Maybe it was impossible to avoid, maybe there was nothing he could have done… but he still fell the weight of the world upon his shoulders at the sight of his only daughter, terrified to tears.

“S-S-Sasuke-kun,” she finally admitted, when sobs stopped wrecking her body so violently and she was able to look up a bit, uncertainty clouding her eyes.

Inoichi’s blood ran cold.

“What did you see?” he put his hands firmly on Ino’s shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes. This wasn’t the time for lying.

“What did you see?” he repeated, his harsh tone finally knocking her out of shock. She started to shiver again, her eyes wider and more fearful than he’d even seen them before. It broke his heart to ask her to remember it so soon, but he _had_ to know.

“There was… blood, everywhere… b-both of his p-parents were on the floor, stabbed with a katana, I-,” In sobbed, almost inaudibly. “There was so much hatred, he wants… Itachi… dead so, so much… there was so much hatred,” she repeated, her lips trembling and her eyes brimming with even more unshed tears. He hugged her. “His Sharingan kicked me out, I t-think…” And she trailed off in a loud, painful wail, her voice finally crumbling into silence as she cried, her face buried in her hands.

“Shh, it’s ok. Shhhh,” he assured her, holding his daughter close. She was so scared, like when her mother had died and for months, she came crying to him with nightmares. Yet it was so much worse, knowing her birth and tradition had sentenced her to bear such a cruel, heavy burden.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his heart aching. How could he have allowed her to learn that cursed technique? She hadn’t been ready, it was too soon… but he wanted to believe in her strength. She was always such a bright, able student, always achieving whatever she had set her clever mind to….

“I’m sorry,” he whispered again, putting her exhausted form to sleep. He had to speak with the Hokage at once. It was a matter of Village security and innocent people could be in danger.

 

Just as he had feared, Ino’s invasion on Sasuke’s mind had triggered a flashback so vivid the boy though she was Itachi… his brother, the traitor, the murderer of his clan. He had attacked her, unable to tell a friend from an enemy any longer.

The next morning, the young Uchiha had vanished. Inoichi could do nothing but hope and pray that his daughter’s mistake would not come back as a landslide of misfortunes befalling their village….


End file.
